Apparatus for treating synthetic fibers



y 29, 1951 V c. B. Moss 2,554,537

APPARATUS FOR TREATING SYNTHETIC FIBERS Filed April 15, 1950 I 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 Zhwentor Clarence B. Moss attorney May 29, 1951 c. B. Moss 2,554,537

' APPARATUS FOR TREATING SYNTHETIC FIBERS' Filed April 15, 1950 -2 Sheets-Shet 2 Zhwentot Clarence B. Moss Gttorneg Patented May 29, 1951 23554537 'KPPARATUSFUKTREQTING SYNTHETIC FIBERS Glareucerzn. Mcssg- Elizabethton, Tenm, assignor t'o synthane fidrporation, Oaks, Pa., 21." corporation of Delaware i lpp licationnpi'iff3, 1950, Serial No. 155.672

C-l'ti'l1'1S. (Cl. 242 -1-10) The present i'nvention relateste ma treatment of synthetic textile fibers, particularly 'n'yl'emand the like, and to a paratus "for 'f-aili'tatirig controlled shinking' of such -fibers preparatory to other operatidns incident to their' use, 'fer ek ample in the manufacture of 'teiitiles.

As is Wellknown new n'ylon fiberwhen subjected to certain treatments" exhibits a tendency to shrink to =3; degree 'difi'erent' from, andusually greater than, 'other 'fibers' under the same treatm'e'nt. Consequently when nylon fiberw'itho'ut preliminary shrinliiri'g"tre'atmentis blended with other 5 fibers, fer exam-p16 rayon, m "the sense quent manufacture *of yarn ar'rd textile fabrics and the latterthenexposed to "co'nd'itiens causing 'der most conditions-isobjection'able.- I

Therefore efforts "have been made to effect-a preliminary controlled "shrinking of nylon-"fiber 130-" reduce itS'Wndncy 'tO thfaf-tl Sll'iiflli --'unequally withpth'er'fiber's with which iti'nay be blended and to retain only that capacity for further shrinking which wil'r'result' in nylon and such other'fibers' shrinkingequall an d unrformly when made'into valiant/ceramic.

However, as far as I am aware thesefiort's have not afi'orded a satisfactory iri'ethod of attaining the desired equality of shrinking" capacity of the different fibers when blended 'or'resulted in the development of'apparatuaidr suitablykon trolling-the shrinking'ef nyibner like berth reduce to a desired predeterinined value-incapacity for further shrinkage.

It is therefore a'p'rincipal 'object'oftheinven tion to 'providea method or and apparatus for effectingcontrolled shrinkage of textile fiber such as nylon whereby *apredetermined proportionof its initial capacity for Shrinking-maybe eliminated and a residual roportion there'df retained to the end "thatit "mays'hliflk lil'lifdinily'with other fibers when tlie'reafter blended therewith in the manufacture of'yarnand/or fabric.

A further object is -toprovide a nietliod efand means for treating a textile fiber operative 'to permit controlled and substantially uniform shrinking thereof without thereafter requiring rewinding of the fiber to enable'it to be utilized in modern machine's-for the manufacture or yarn.

Other objects, purposes and-advantages "or the invention will hereafter more {fully appear or will be understood from the following description of a preferred mode ofpractising the method thereof with the aid of oneenibo'di'm near apparatus corrnare'heniieki-'l'a'y*trx-"s invention-as musl5 shrinkage, the fibers shrink'iinequally which uh- I 2 trated intheaccompanying drawingsin which:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in 'si'de'elevation and partly in axial 'sectio'no'f one unit of said'apparatu's;

Fig. 2 is a side-"elevatien on a sinaller scale of a nylon fiber package made'with the'aid'of said unit;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of said package on line 3-3 in Fig. 2but on the same scale as Fig. 4 is an explodedsideelevation, 'partly'i'n axial section; on the scale of-Fig. 1 showing said package after th'e'fiber has been shrunk together with means for supporting it on the creel "or a -sp'i'nning" machine or the like; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line '5 5 in Fig. 4 but on a larger scale than any ofthe preceding figures.

Referring now more particularly to the drawin'gs the apparatus therein illustrated 'will be described initially to fully disclose its'st'ructure and character While its functions-in attainment of the objects of the invention will later More specifically-appear from the succeeding" descripti'on'Of my novel method of tifating' fibrewith the aid'of said apparatus theugh it-willbe unde'rstood-other apparatus may satisfactorily be employed in'the practice of said method if desired.

Thus the appa'ratus as illustrated in Figs. 1-3 comprises 'a barr'el unit'including'a pair of concentric substantially cylindrical sleeves l-,- 2 "which may conveniently be formed from pieces of laminated synthetic resinous tubing or appropriate diameter. Each of these sleeves is pro vided'w'ith aslctextending theentirele'ngth of its wall parallel to its axis, the'sides or the slot 3 in inner sleeve l substantially paralleling radial plane's while the outer sleeve adjacent its slot 4 is preferably feathered to a fairly thin edge continuous with and 'subs'ta'ntially tangent to its innersurfac'e whereby when thesleeves are telescop'ed together with their slots out of circumferential 'alignment'the outer surface of the outer sleeve adjacent'slot 4 slopes inward toward the o'ute'rsurface 'of "the inner sleeve and the sleeves cooperate to provide a smooth uninterrupted substantially cylindrical outer surface for the unit-as a. Whole; the inner sleeve at each end has abeveled inner surface 5 conformingrespectively to corresponding-surfaces of supporting mechani'sm hereafter to be described. supplementin'g' the natural resiliency of thesleeves, in the inner surfaee'or inner sleeve l spaced inwardly fr'oin eachend is a circumferential 1 groove 1 recaving areuate spring 8 desirably for'med from corrosion resistant spring strip such as stainless steel or the like biased circumferentially against the inner sleeve to resist centripetal compression of the barrel unit.

This unit is adapted to serve as the barrel or body of a spool for receiving the fiber to be treated, the spool also including a pair of circular laminated synthetic resinous heads l5, 16 each having a groove ll in its inner face for reception of the sleeve ends, the inner sides of said grooves being tapered as at I8 to generally correspond to the bevels of the latter. A tubular axial spindle I 9 for the spool may be permanently fixed to head l5 and removably threaded into head l6 whereby these parts may be readily assembled with and dissembled from the sleeves. means for mounting the barrel unit in winding mechanism (not shown) whereby a quantity of fiber F may be wound upon it, for example sufficient to provide thereon a package or cake ex- The spindle and heads thus provide tending axially in opposite directions to just short 7 of the sleeve ends and up to about an inch or less in radial'thickness, after which the spool heads and spindle may, be detached and used with another barrel unit.

Other means provided for supporting the package, consisting of the barrel unit and fiber when formed as just described, during and after a shrinking treatment comprise a pair of somewhat smaller circular heads ZEI, 2i each having an annular groove 23 in its inner face and likewise preferably made from laminated synthetic resinous stock. The inner diameter of these grooves 23 preferably substantially corresponds to the inside diameter of inner sleeve I when the latter has been compressed circumferentially against the bias of springs 8 suficiently to bring the sides of slot 3 together or substantially so and the outer diameter of the grooves substantially corresponds to the outside diameter of outer sleeve 2 when it has been compressed against the inner sleeve in this condition and its slot 4 thus contracted to narrower width than it normally assumes when the unit is relatively unstressed. Desirably slot 3 is proportioned to permit circumferential contraction of the barrel unit to the degree requisite to allow a predetermined amount of shrinking of fibers wound thereon to bring the sides of the slot together.

A tubular axial spindle 25 connecting heads 20, 2| may be cemented or otherwise fixed in head 23 while bayonet slots 26 in its free 'end are provided for reception of a pin 21 which extends across an axial bore 28 in head '2 lwhereby the latter may be removably secured to the spindle, a disk 30 biased by a spring 3! in this bore yieldingly maintaining pin 27 properly seated in slots 26. I

In the employment of above described apparatus for the practice of the method of my invention sleeves I, 2 are disposed in telescoped concentric relation With their slots 3, 4 substantially diametrically opposed or at least not. in alignment and'assembled with heads I5, Hi held together by spindle 19; the entire spool assembly is then mounted in any suitable apparatus appropriate'for rotating it or otherwise winding a quantity of fiber upon it, grooves IT in the heads receiving respectively the ends of both sleeves fairly snugly when they are free of external stress. Desirably these grooves are so proportioned that to enter them the outer sleeve must be slightly compressed against the inner one, the. beveled ends of the latter then lying closely against the tapered inner sides of the grooves to resist further contraction of the sleeves during winding of fiber on the barrel unit while the heads are firmly held assembled therewith.

After a cake of the desired size has been wound on the spool heads I5, l6 and spindle [9 may ;be removed from the sleeves and the fiber package, consisting of sleeves l, 2 with springs 8 in their grooves and the surrounding cake of fiber,

is then subjected to a shrinking treatment, for

example one which includes holding it for an appreciable period in a steam bath. As the fiber shrinks in consequence of this treatment it gradually compresses the sleeves circumferentially until the sides of slot 3 engage each other, after which further shrinking is efi'ectively resisted by the incompressibility of the sleeves and the width of slot 3 is therefore calculated to permit that degree of shrinking desired, thus rendering it unnecessary to attempt to control it by careful timing of the steam treatment; or otherwise.

After slot 3 has been substantially closed and slot 4 of course simultaneously correspondingly contracted as a result of shrinking of the fiber the package is placed between heads 20, 2| and the latter secured together with the aid of spindle 25, the grooves in the heads receiving the ends of the contracted sleeves fairly snugly to restrict theirexpansion during unwinding of the shrunk fiber therefrom in a subsequent spinning operation or the like. The package may therefore be placed on a creel or otherwise positioned for unwinding and the shrunk fiber Withdrawn therefrom in the manner normally employed for utilizing fibers of this character in textile manufacture, and it will be understood that although the fiber after shrinking and before unwinding is maintained understress due to the opposition to compression exertedby the sleeves, assisted by springs 8, this opposition is ineffective to seriously disturb the lay of the fiber even when all but relatively few turns have been unwound since the grooves in heads 20, 21 hold the sleeves at least partially compressed until the heads are ultimately removed ,-from the sleeves and the latter thus cannot fully expand during unwinding of the fiber. Their expansion to relatively unstressed condition follows as a matter of course, however, after the fiber has been unwound and heads 20, 2| removed from the sleeves following disengagementof pin 21 from its bayonet slots in spindle 25.

It will be, understood that if desired heads I5 and 20 may .be provided with spaced diametrically opposed sockets 35, 36-respectively for re: ception of-corresponding studs of winding or braking mechanism or any other suitable means utilized for effecting and/or controlling rotation of the barrel unit when it isassembled with either pair of heads or equivalent supporting apparatus and, further; that the mechanism employed for either winding the fiber thereon or unwinding it therefrom forms no part of the invention, being usually similar, to that in general use in the textile arts for winding and unwinding fibers and yarns. It will moreover be understood that while I have herein described with considerable particularity one embodiment of apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention and have explained in detail the use thereof in the practice of my method, I do not desire or intend thereby to be limited or confined in any way as changes and modifications. in the form, structure, arrangement and relationship of; the several parts of the apparatus as well as in the mode of practising the several steps of my novel method will readily occur to those skilled in the art and may be employed if desired without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. Apparatus for controlling shrinkage of textile fiber during a shrinking operation comprising a pair of telescoped substantially tubular ing heads having annular grooves receiving resleeves each having a slot extending from end to end thereof, the slots being circumferentially non-aligned, the slot in at least one of the sleeves being of width such that its edges are brought into substantial interengagement circumferentially when fiber wound on the outer sleeve and subjected to a shrinking operation has shrunk to a degree less than its capacity for shrinking under uncontrolled shrinking conditions.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which the inner sleeve has spaced circumferential grooves in its inner surface, and arcuate springs seated in said grooves biased circumferentially against said sleeve to resist centripetal contraction thereof.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which the edges of the slot in the inner sleeve lie substan: tially in radial planes and the outer sleeve is beveled substantially tangentially to its inner surface adjacent the edges of its slot.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 in combination with a pair of substantially circular supporting heads having circular grooves receiving respectively the ends of the sleeves, the inner walls spectively the ends of the sleeves, the outer walls of said grooves corresponding substantially to the outer diameter of the outer sleeve when the edges of the slots in the sleeves are of less than normal width thereby to inhibit circumferential expansion of the sleeves when the latter are relieved of centripetal stress of shrunk fiber wound on the outer sleeve, and means for releasably holding the heads in assembled relation with the sleeves.

CLARENCE B. MOSS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

